Instinctual 2 (2 page)

“Are you okay, sir?”

“She didn’t make it. Christ! She didn’t make it!” He hung his head. He’d failed his daughter. Failed to protect her and failed to save her.

“I’m sorry, sir. If there’s anything I can do…”

As much as anyone felt obligated to utter those words at times of loss, there was nothing that could be done. Not a thing. Robert’s shoulders shook as sobs escaped him. Grief shattered him and he couldn’t be strong any more. He didn’t need to be. He’d seen the look of resignation on the medic’s face. The very same look that he’d given to countless victims’ families on numerous occasions in his long career. A look that voiced a thousand words. A look that held loss and heartache.

Memories stirred… The first time he’d held his dark-haired baby girl, who only minutes after being born had opened her eyes and stared at him as if already knowing who he was and that he idolized her. They’d bonded in that instant. She’d had him wound around her little finger from that moment on. Her heart shaped face with the peaches and cream complexion and small upturned mouth that was unnaturally red as if she’d been born with lipstick on. He remembered the first time she’d grasped his thumb and wouldn’t let go. Even as an infant she’d been strong. That strength had only grown as she had developed into the beautiful, kind person that he’d been so proud of.

He couldn’t help but feel responsible for her life ending so soon. The way things had played out with Jake. His leaving had devastated Kate, of that he was sure. She’d never quite been the same. If Jake had never been involved in Robert’s scheme to bring The Organization down, his baby girl would still be alive. Carlos Santini would never have appeared on the scene. If. If. If. There were just so many, but none of them would change the outcome. His beloved Kate was dead. He would grieve forever.

The whir of the winch and movement in front of them brought him to the present. Directly in front of him were the medic and Kate, whose lifeless head lay on the shoulder of her rescuer, his protective arms wrapped around her to hold her body close as they were raised to the chopper, the gale force from the rotor increasing the closer they got.

Robert rose and rushed over to get a closer look at his battered daughter, his sobs increasing at the tarnished face of his once stunning child, her closed eyes, never to open again. Fused shut for all of eternity.

He would never hear the excitement in her voice when he called her up. He’d never be able to ask her how she was. The Christmas holiday they’d spoken about days ago was now merely wishful thinking. How could that be? How had it all gone so fucking wrong? He wasn’t supposed to outlive her. He just wasn’t.

The Gladiator stood motionless, head down as if in a salute pose, paying tribute to another life taken too soon and as respect to Mr. Fitzpatrick while the body rose higher.

Robert watched his daughter’s body get hauled up into the chopper where it was all hands on deck.

“Sir, we need to get down to the Doria Castle ASAP. They’ll be waiting on us.” The Gladiator had placed a hand on Rob’s shoulder.

Robert didn’t know if his legs could carry him but they would have to. Kate needed her father with her on her final journey out of Vernazza. He at least owed her the last ounce of strength he could muster to stand by her side with honor and pride and to deliver her home to the States where she would receive a proper burial and funeral.

Feeling utterly spent, he forced his legs to follow The Gladiator through the confined streets, past unwitting locals who went about their daily lives none the wiser. The world would continue to go on in its usual manner long after Kate had been laid to rest. It just didn’t seem fair. His legs were shaking, the muscles feeling like jelly, his grief causing his sobs to leach from him with each step down he took towards Katie-bear. His only child gone, just like that. Snuffed out not because of some fatal disease but because of some horrible circumstance that could have been prevented.

***

Jake hadn’t needed to make the hike to the castle by foot. He willed his way on board the chopper, sitting as close to Kate as he could without literally being on top of the medics. He watched on, anxiously, praying that they’d made it in time, not willing to believe she was dead.

The two medics were talking fast in their own language, hooking Kate up to a defibrillator and inserting an intravenous line. Electrodes were placed all over her chest and a couple on her ankles. The underwear was carefully cut from her body, and when Jake looked, he could see massive bruises and gashes covering Kate’s stomach, shoulders, arms and legs. She looked like she’d been beaten. Deep lacerations filled with dried blood that he imagined had sliced her to the bone on the treacherous wall of rock. It was hard to tell if her skin was sunburned or red from her injuries. He guessed it was a bit of both.

A faint, very slow beep started on the mobile heart monitor but then stopped about thirty seconds later as the chopper descended to the tower platform.

“Insert 150mg Amiodarone and then get the paddles, stat! She’s going into cardiac arrest!”

“Shit! Shit! Don’t bail out on me now, Kate. Fight it, woman! Be strong. Stay with me.” Jake knew that he could scream the words and no one would hear, but if Kate was out of her body somewhere then hopefully she’d hear his pleas. Not knowing if it would make any difference, he at least had to try.

“Don’t die on me, baby. I can’t lose you. I can’t. I won’t survive without you. I need you.” His face was painted with terror as he yelled at the medics.

“You’re losing her, damn it! Fucking do something!” He wanted nothing more than to pound on her chest in his own attempt to restart her heart but he couldn’t get near her torso. Both doctors were leaned over her, administering their own life-saving techniques.

Chapter Three

At the castle platform, the chopper landed and was waiting patiently for its two passengers, angled away from the growing mob of people that had formed around the perimeter where the Italian police were standing, explaining to onlookers that they would be allowed in once the chopper had departed. One of the police recognized Robert and The Gladiator from their visit to the station the previous night and waved them through.

Robert found some reserve in the tank and ran the last twenty feet, not waiting on The Gladiator, just needing to touch and see Katie. It appeared that chaos had ensued inside the chopper and he halted for an instant, his eyes wide as he watched on.

Paddles had been placed across Kate’s naked chest and were sending a jolt of electricity to her as she arched up off the stretcher. They were trying to re-start her heart.

Robert jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder and for a moment he thought it was The Gladiator but soon realized Gary had exited the chopper. Each electric shock his daughter’s body took felt like it was in his own.

“They’ll do everything they can to save her, Rob. I know it doesn’t look good but you can’t give up hope. She had a very faint pulse when the medic reached her but we lost it on the way here.”

Robert looked at Gary. “She was alive when the medic arrived? But… I saw him shake his head. I thought…” A sliver of hope shone through and he grabbed onto it with both hands.

“You thought she was dead?”

“Yeah. I’ve seen that look a thousand times, Gary. I know death when I see it.”

“He couldn’t feel her pulse at first it was so weak, but it was definitely there. She’s a fighter, I’ll give her that—” The men’s conversation was cut short.

“Clear!” Another jolt. Robert couldn’t stand to watch and turned his back.

“She means everything to me, Gary. I can’t lose her.”

“I know, buddy. These guys won’t give up on her, I promise. They have dealt with these situations before. If it was my kid on that stretcher, this is the team I’d want.”

The words did little to comfort Robert as he heard the click of the paddles and the thud of Kate’s body accepting another shock.

“Sir? We need to get underway,” called the chopper pilot to Gary. “The hospital just radioed through asking for our E.T.A.”

There was no time to pause and wait for Kate to stabilize. They needed to move out now.

“Come on, Rob, Kate needs you now. We’ve got a team of experts waiting at the other end. She’s in very capable hands.”

Robert sighed and hunched his shoulders as he nodded and motioned for The Gladiator to climb on board, too.

Just before he boarded, he remembered something he had to do first.

Turning on his heels, he strode over to the Italian policeman who had helped in the search, even though he was the same one that detained The Gladiator the previous evening. He held out his hand in a gesture of thanks.

“Thank you for helping search for my daughter. It means a lot to me.”

“You are-a very welcome, sir. I hope-a she will be-a okay.”

So did Robert. With everything he had, he prayed Kate would make a full recovery because he was dangerously close to going on a revenge rampage. Maybe he would do that, anyway. He needed someone’s head on a platter and he damn well wouldn’t stop until he had it.

It was a tight squeeze even with the over-sized cabin that was the largest in its class and could house fifteen infantrymen. With the stretcher, equipment and medics, space was limited. Robert and The Gladiator found spare seats towards the back, where they sat and buckled up. A medic shut the door and they were soon airborne.

Robert couldn’t breathe as he watched the defibrillator at work, trying to shock his daughter to life. He felt utterly helpless and wanted to do something to assist.

He ripped his seatbelt off and moved to where he could touch Kate’s bare leg, offering some sort of comfort. It was the only offering he could give at that time apart from his prayers. He needed to touch her. To feel his baby clinging to life beneath his fingers, hoping beyond hope that by some miracle she would be able to sense his presence.

Her skin felt like ice even though it was bright red to look at. She needed a blanket.

“Her feet are cold.”

Both medics looked at him, not having the time to leave their posts. “In the cupboard at the back is a blanket.” The male medic who had pulled Kate to safety motioned with his head toward a freestanding wooden structure that looked like a broom closet.

The Gladiator got up and went to retrieve it. “I’ll get it, sir.”

He handed a thermal blanket to Robert, where he unfolded it and placed it over his daughter’s chilly legs. It wasn’t much but it felt like he had helped in some small way.

Kate’s body heaved once more as the shock was administered and he heard a faint beep come to life as if by some miracle, the blanket had helped. He knew that was absurd but he held onto the hope that Kate knew he was with her and was fighting hard. The sound was music to his ears. The best sound a father could ever hear. It was the sound of life. The sound of hope.

“That’s it, Katie. Be strong. I’m here, baby girl, and I’m not going anywhere. I love you so much.”

Relief seemed to echo through the cabin as a giant foil blanket was opened and placed over Kate. The medic removed the blanket Robert had placed over Kate’s legs and placed it on top of the foil to help keep in any body heat.

“How is she?” Robert asked.

“Well, we need to keep her stable now. It’s still touch and go.”

They’d be landing in around ten minutes so she had to hang in there until proper medical care could be offered. Not that the medics hadn’t done an outstanding job. They had saved Kate’s life, no doubt about that, but they were limited with their equipment.

He returned to his seat next to The Gladiator and tightened his seatbelt.

“Sir?” asked The Gladiator.

“Yes?”

“Has the mission ended? Will I be returning to the States or continuing with my assignment in Rome?”

“This mission is far from over. I want someone’s head over this. I want Carlos Santini and his whole Organization brought down. I’m going to need you more than ever now.”

“With all due respect, sir, just how do you plan on cracking this thing open?”

Robert lowered his voice to keep the conversation private. He turned in his seat and moved closer to The Gladiator. “We need to find our spy. He was planted years ago and has been working undercover gathering information. I’m a little concerned that we haven’t heard from him. He’s the key to the whole operation.” He didn’t have the nerve to mention that the spy, who was apparently invisible, had been the one to tip Robert off about Kate’s whereabouts.

***

Jake sat up straighter as he eavesdropped in on the conversation. “I’m right here, Goddamit! Your spy is sitting opposite you! I can tell you where Carlos is and where I am but you can’t see or hear me!” Talk about frustrating!

It was time to play some more. He eyed Robert’s seatbelt.

He picked the flap up and dropped it, hoping it would be heavy enough to make an impact.